New York Mets starter Dillon Gee appeared to be headed for his fourth straight win the last time out, but gave up a late home run to fall back into the loss column.
Gee will take the mound Saturday in the middle portion of a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. In Monday's 2-1 loss at Atlanta, Gee was cruising through eight innings until Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman stroked a one-out two-run homer to win it.
Gee's three-game winning streak came to an end and the right-hander fell to 5-7 with a 4.56 earned run average in 14 starts. He has allowed a total of five runs in his last four starts and lost to Philadelphia on April 26. In eight lifetime meetings (7 starts) with the Phillies, Gee is 2-3 with a 7.49 ERA.
Jonathan Pettibone gets the nod for the Phillies and pitched a career-low three innings of a 10-5 loss at Colorado last Saturday. Pettibone gave up seven runs, six of which were earned, and 10 hits to fall to 3-3 in 11 starts to go along with a 4.40 ERA.
Pettibone is 0-3 in his last six starts and has allowed 10 runs over his past two. The young right-hander defeated the Mets the first time he faced them on April 27, when he lasted five innings and allowed three runs in a 9-4 win.
The Mets were able to erase an early 3-0 deficit by handing the Phillies a 4-3 setback in Friday's series opener. Jeremy Hefner outdueled Cole Hamels and earned the win with six solid innings, allowing three runs -- two earned -- and 10 hits with six strikeouts and one walk.
"I thought this was a great win for us. We're down 3-0 with Cole Hamels on the mound. To come back and win this one was big," Mets manager Terry Collins said.
Scott Rice, Carlos Torres and Bobby Parnell each threw a scoreless inning of relief with Parnell notching his 12th save in the process. Juan Lagares powered the offense with three hits, an RBI and a run scored, while newcomer Eric Young finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and scored a run.
New York has won two in a row and five of seven games, and is 4-2 on an 11- game road trip.
Hamels, meanwhile, suffered his 11th loss (2-11) of the season and was disappointed he couldn't hold an early lead.
"Today was game that I feel like we could have seized. It was a good opportunity and I wasn't able to take care of what I needed to take care of on the field," Hamels said.
Hamels was tagged for four runs on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts in six innings.
Domonic Brown and Ben Revere had two hits and an RBI apiece for the Phillies, who have lost two straight and four of six games. Revere was able to extend his hitting streak to 11 games in defeat.
Prior to Friday's opener with the Mets, Philadelphia activated second baseman Chase Utley off the disabled list and he went 0-for-5. To make room for Utley, who missed a month with an oblique strain, the club optioned utility man Michael Martinez to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
"I had some opportunities to drive in some runs, I didn't do that," Utley told the club's website. "But overall picture, I feel good, I feel like I can contribute."
Philadelphia is still a solid 5-2 against the Mets this season and 9-2 in the previous 11 meetings between the NL East rivals.
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